Think vaping is a safer alternative to smoking? A 32-year-old Alabama woman, a former avid vaper begs to differ, warning others of its hidden dangers. Her warnings stem from a terrifying incident that left her permanently scarred and "looking like a zombie" after her rechargeable vape exploded in her lap while she was driving, setting her car in flames.
Suzanne Manus vaped for about seven years until a tragic incident in November last year changed everything.
"I was just driving down the road talking to my husband and then the next thing you know, my vape just exploded. It was in my lap and it exploded and I had an immediate reaction. The explosion scared me and my husband could hear me as he was on Bluetooth in my car," Manus recollected.
"What he heard was the 'boom' of the explosion and me screaming and saying I was on fire and then everything went quiet. He thought I was dead for about 45 seconds," she said.
Realizing she was on fire, Manus panicked, pressing the accelerator and causing her car to swerve uncontrollably. She managed to escape and remove her burning pants on the side of the highway. By the time she was in the ambulance, her car had turned into a massive fireball.
Manus was first taken to Flowers Hospital in Dothan before being airlifted to the trauma center at UAB Hospital in Birmingham for further treatment. After undergoing two surgeries and spending nearly a month in the hospital for severe burns on the inner thighs, lower abdomen, and bottom, she continues to struggle with the trauma of the fire.
"When I looked at my legs after the first surgery, I couldn't see how they could get better. It looked so bad and it looked like a zombie had attacked me in these areas," she said.
Now, Manus urges others to quit the habit entirely, warning that the risks are not worth it. "I would like to tell people not to vape. I know people think it's a better alternative to smoking cigarettes but it is completely not worth it. They do blow and this does happen and it can really change your life forever. This could have been my fate. I could not be here if I had got stuck in my car," Manus said.
